Optimize using black soldier fly larvae reared on chicken manure as an alternative feed in the insect farming industry

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> In April 2022, the State Information Service (SIS) released statistics indicating that Egypt produced over 1.4 billion birds overall, including 320 million chickens. The high price of chicken feed presents Egypt with a significant challenge. As many research suggested the use of chicken manure (CM) as a substitute feed, Egypt may transform it to a reasonably priced and readily available for chicken feed by using black soldier fly larvae (BSFL). BSFL fed on pure CM don’t gain significant weight and often died, this research aims to investigate the effects of adding different ratios of bread waste (BW) to CM to increase BSF larval development. The best results were obtained when BW was added to CM at a 1:1 ratio. Four bacterial isolates were isolated from BSF eggs, while one bacterial isolate, <italic>Morganella morganii</italic>, was isolated from the larval gut. On adding the bacterial isolates to different substrates, <italic>M. morganii </italic>showed the highest effect on larval weight and conversion rate, which may highlight its potential as a beneficial bacterial isolate for BSF cultivation. Further research is needed to explore these mechanisms, assess the potential of these bacterial isolates, and optimize the use of bacterial supplementation in insect farming systems.